We Can End The Controversy Over Fracking Right Now

They have been at the vanguard of an effort to keep fracking out of New York — the practice has been banned since 2010.

But the urgency of the issue in New York is belied by a larger the truth about the environmental dangers of fracking: we pretty much know what they are, and know how to deal with them.

Quick recap: fracking involves pumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of water and chemicals into rocks to fracture them and release their oil and gas.

Though the practice is not new, there's been an explosion of horizontal drilling all over the country as the full extent of shale resources trapped in places like south Texas and western Pennsylvania began to be known.

But it remains controversial over fears about its environmental impact.

Hakim notes that the health department discusses how each of these issues can be tackled:

The Department proposes numerous controls, including but not limited to liners and secondary containment for storage of chemicals on the well pad, and increased standards for well construction, cementing and blowout prevention equipment.

Still, the report was dismissed by many — including the Health Department itself, who said the document was "out of date" and that a new version was being drawn up that would contain "substantial changes."

New Yorkers Against Fracking said the document "cavalierly [dismisses] the health impacts" of the practice.

Even Hakim took issue, questioning "how much original research the state has done on potential health impacts" of fracking.

If they've merely been trying to save a few bucks, it's safe to say this strategy has backfired, given the resistance with which fracking has been met not just on the Eastern Seaboard but all over Europe.

If oil companies want to tone down debate, they'll need to be more transparent to build trust.

But the knee-jerk terror fracking has prompted in some communities seems unwarranted.

Fracking is not new. It's been going on for decades in Texas and the Mountain West. The only difference is now is that it's being proposed in places where it hasn't been done before.

Given the benefits that we know come with the practice, it seems communities should be demanding safe fracking, rather than turning it away.